The number of types of electronic devices that are commercially available has increased tremendously the past few years and the rate of introduction of new devices shows no signs of abating. Devices, such as tablet, laptop, netbook, desktop, and all-in-one computers, cell, smart, and media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, and others, have become ubiquitous.
The functionality of these devices has likewise greatly increased. This in turn has led to increased complexity inside of these electronic devices. For example, several boards, such as flexible circuit boards, printed circuit boards, and others, are often included in a single device. These boards may be connected together using board-to-board connectors.
These board-to-board connectors should typically be durable and reliable. That is, they should be durable to help ensure that the device has a long operational life. They should also form a reliable connection, otherwise disconnections between circuits and components on different boards could occur leading to a loss of functionality or failure of the device. With a reliable connection, if the device is dropped or otherwise jarred, a disconnection may be avoided.
Often these connectors may be large. This, in turn, may consume board area and space inside an electronic device. This may result in either the device having less functionality, a larger size, or a combination of the two. Smaller connectors may save space, allowing more functionality in a device, they may allow a device to be smaller, or a combination of each.
Further board-to-board connectors may also be somewhat complicated to manufacture. This may lead to increased device costs. Connectors that may be easier to manufacture may provide reduce costs. This manufacturability may be enhanced by being able to reconnect the board-to-board connectors more one or more times.
Thus, what is needed are board-to-board connectors that may provide durable and reliable connections. These board-to-board connectors may save board space and may be easy to manufacture.